Kleckley v. Hebert

464 So. 2d 39
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 30, 1985
Docket84-89
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 464 So. 2d 39 (Kleckley v. Hebert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kleckley v. Hebert, 464 So. 2d 39 (La. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

464 So.2d 39 (1985)

Wilse KLECKLEY, et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
Archie S. HEBERT, Defendant-Third Party Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
MERCAZ CORPORATION, et al., Third Party Defendants-Appellees.

No. 84-89.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

January 30, 1985.
Rehearing Denied March 8, 1985.

*41 Woodley, Barnett, Cox, Williams, Fenet & Palmer, Robert W. Fenet, Lake Charles, for plaintiff-appellant.

McHale, Bufkin & Dees, Robert M. McHale, Lake Charles, for plaintiff-appellee.

Jones, Tete, Nolen, Hanchey, Swift & Spears, Charles Harper, Lake Charles, for defendant-appellee.

Before GUIDRY, FORET and LABORDE, JJ.

LABORDE, Judge.

Appellant Archie Hebert appeals the judgment of the trial court dismissing his third party demand against appellee Mercaz Corporation on an exception of prescription. We reverse and remand.

Hebert is one of several persons who acquired a limited partnership interest in a business venture in Southwest Louisiana. The planned business was the construction and operation of Acadian Courts Racquetball Club (ACRC). Hebert was the construction contractor for the club facilities. Hebert agreed to accept a $10,000 limited partnership interest in ACRC as partial payment for his services.

The business venture failed shortly after completion of the club facilities, and as a result of a contractual agreement which we need not relate for our disposition of this case, Hebert was informed that not only had he lost his investment, but that he was also obligated, along with certain other limited partners, to purchase Mercaz Corporation's limited partnership interest. Appellant refused to pay his portion of the purported obligation to Mercaz. The other limited partners obligated to Mercaz sued appellant to force him to comply with the agreement. Appellant Hebert answered the partners' petition, and further filed a third party demand against Mercaz and other promoters and sellers of the business venture for damages and other relief under the antifraud provisions of Louisiana's Blue Sky Laws and the federal security laws.

Mercaz filed an exception of prescription, contending that any rights appellant might have against it under state Blue Sky Law and federal law were time-barred. Further, appellee argued that the federal securities laws invoked by appellant are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal courts.

The trial judge dismissed Hebert's third party demand against Mercaz, sustaining its exception of prescription. Hebert now appeals.

We will discuss the issues raised by this appeal in two separate sections. First, we will discuss the issues under Louisiana's Blue Sky Laws; second, we will discuss the issues under the federal securities laws.

BLUE SKY LAW

After several months of intermittent negotiation, Hebert agreed to become a limited partner in ACRC when he signed the partnership agreement on February 1, 1980. Hebert argues that the sale of the security (the limited partnership interest) was not actually consummated until February 24, 1981, when his "payment" for the security was "delivered" in the form of a reduced price for the work he performed on the club facility. Clearly, however, the sale was perfected on February 1, 1980, under the law of this state. See La.Civ. Code art. 2456 (completion of sale contract when agreement as to object and price).

Suit was filed against Hebert on March 26, 1982. Hebert generally denied the allegations of the plaintiffs' petition in an answer filed on April 14, 1982, and he first raised the incidental securities fraud and misrepresentation third party claims in a supplemental and amending answer filed on June 30, 1982.

Louisiana Revised Statute 51:715(E) provides a two year prescriptive period from the date of the contract of sale within which a person may bring suit under the antifraud provisions of the Blue Sky Laws.

Had Hebert's third party claims been filed as an independent lawsuit, the claims would have prescribed before June 30, *42 1982, because this date is more than two years after the contract of sale. Even under the calculation of the prescriptive period that we apply today, Hebert's claims under state Blue Sky Law have prescribed. Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure article 1067 provides:

"An incidental demand is not barred by prescription or peremption if it was not barred at the time the main demand was filed and is filed within ninety days of date of service of main demand or in the case of a third party defendant within ninety days from service of process of third party demand."

Under article 1067, Hebert could have filed his third party claim within ninety days of being served with plaintiffs' petition if the third party claim was not time-barred at the institution of plaintiffs' suit. Hebert loses on both prongs of the test. Hebert's third party claims were filed more than ninety days after plaintiffs first served him, and prescription on Hebert's state Blue Sky Law claims had run before plaintiffs filed suit on March 26, 1982.

Hebert may not sue Mercaz under state Blue Sky Law antifraud provisions. Hebert's claims under state Blue Sky Law have prescribed.

FEDERAL SECURITIES LAW

Appellee contends that any claim Hebert might have under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. secs. 78a-78kk (1976), has prescribed and, further, may not be pursued in state court in any event. Appellee refers, of course, to the ubiquitous implied civil cause of action for fraud or deceit connected with the purchase or sale of a security under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 10b-5, 17 C.F.R. sec. 240.10b-5 (1982). We agree that prescription has run on Hebert's Rule 10b-5 claim, see Dupuy v. Dupuy, 551 F.2d 1005, 1023 n. 31 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 911, 98 S.Ct. 312, 54 L.Ed.2d 197 (1977), but we do not rest our dismissal of Hebert's Rule 10b-5 cause of action on this ground, because this court lacks the jurisdiction to consider a Rule 10b-5 claim. Hebert cannot utilize an implied remedy under Rule 10b-5 in state court. Rule 10b-5 was promulgated by the SEC under the authority of section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. sec. 78j(b) (1976). An implied civil action under Rule 10b-5 thus rests firmly under the enabling 1934 Act. Section 27 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. sec. 78aa (1976), provides that the federal courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction of "all suits ... brought to enforce any liability or duty created by [the 1934 Act] or the rules and regulations thereunder."

Appellee, however, has entirely overlooked another source of federal securities law: the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. secs. 77a-77aa (1976). Although the 1933 Act is essentially a disclosure law, it provides certain express civil remedies for injured investors. The applicable provision in this instance is section 12 of the Act, which states:

"Any person who—
(1) offers or sells a security in violation of section 5, or

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464 So. 2d 39, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kleckley-v-hebert-lactapp-1985.